Grangee (near side) and Jody Townend© Photo Healy Racing
It's Willie Mullins' world and the rest are just living in it at present, as the Champion Trainer wiped the floor with his rivals for a second consecutive day at the Dublin Racing Festival today, completing a five-timer in the concluding Grade 2 Coolmore NH Sires EBF (Mares) INH Bumper with 18/1 'rag' Grangee
Yesterday's four-timer by Mullins with top notch performers Gailaird Du Mesnil, Chacun Pour Soi, Energumene and Kilcruit was bettered by five more winners today, three of which Appreciate It Monkfish and Irish Gold Cup winner Kemboy were in Grade 1s.
Mullins ran 60 horses in total for the 15 races at Leopardstown with just the Irish Champion Hurdle (won by Honeysuckle) and Spring Juvenile Hurdle (Quilixios) the only truly meaningful races which eluded him.
Mullins threw five darts at the concluding Grade 2 bumper with the yard's fourth-choice in the betting Grangee, under Jody Townend, finishing powerfully to beat the Gordon Elliott trained Party Central by a neck.
Afterwards Mullins reported “Jody springs a surprise without her 7lb claim. She did exactly what I asked her to do — go around behind and keep your powder dry till the end.
“I was disappointed with her at Market Rasen. The winner looked a very good mare. However, she was a young mare travelling away for the first time and probably learned a lot from there.
“She enjoys being ridden that way. Patrick rode that way in Galway the first day, and that renews my faith in her.
“We’ll have a chat about where she goes and I’d always be keen to go to Cheltenham.”
Reflecting on the whole weekend, Mullins added “it’s a tremendous initiative by HRI and Leopardstown to put on a weekend like this and I think the whole industry is grateful.
“To get the calibre of horse that has been here for two days is fantastic. I’m not sure there has been that calibre of horse ever at a two-day meeting in the British Isles.
“We have a great team of owners and great staff. I’m delighted for them and all the jockeys who rode winners for us.”
Quotes from Alan Magee
